With Shuddering Fall (1964)

by Joyce Carol Oates

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The first novel from New York Times-bestselling author Joyce Carol Oates, a thrilling, dark tale of family, revenge, and two souls intertwined by love and violence--now back in print for fans of America's most prolific storyteller. Written when Joyce Carol Oates was in her early twenties, and first published in 1964, With Shuddering Fall is her powerful debut novel, the first of five new Oates reprints from Ecco. Following the turbulent story of two lovers who discover themselves mortal enemies, the author explores the struggle for dominance in erotic relationships that has become a predominant theme in her work, as well as the perils of patriarchal inheritance, and the ripple-effects of emotional loss in adolescence. The result is an unsentimental yet sympathetic rendering of a disastrous love affair in which hatred is nearly as powerful as love, and a yearning for destruction is an abiding and insatiable passion. Discover what prompted the New York Times to compare this young writer's debut to Shirley Jackson's famous short story, "The Lottery." Readers looking for a place to start in Joyce Carol Oates's vast catalogue will be intrigued by the sheer narrative force of the young author, and her willingness to anatomize the darkest recesses of humanity in a search for redemption and resolution.… (more)

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I read this book because I am a big fan of JCO. If you're not familiar with the author, I wouldn't really recommend this as a book to start with because it is clearly one of her early works. It has the same theme of dysfunctional relationships that is in many of her books. However, the second half seemed a little unorganized. It introduced new characters and for a while I wasn't sure where the story was going. For the most part, though, I enjoyed it. (

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marymatus | Jan 12, 2022 |

I enjoy reading Joyce Carol Oats (except for We Were the Mulvaneys), so was thrilled to find this book. It is a bit over-written and "brooding"...she obviously became a better writer over time. But, it is still a great read.

This is the story of Karen, a teen-aged girl and her lover, Shar, an older man (he's around 30). Theirs is more of an obsession than a traditional love affair, a theme Ms. Oates explores so well in her writing. We watch Karen and Shar with fascination -- sometimes appalled at them, sometimes sympathetic as they seen intent on mutual destruction. Very passionate writing...as we've come to expect from Joyce Carol Oates. She can really tell a story! (

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LynnB | May 25, 2018 |

This is one of the first ones I read of JCO, along with 'A Garden of Earthly Delights', 'them'.....they all have similar themes of danger, sexual obsession, with wonderfully intense characterizations...this is one of her earlier books, and I have my original paperback copy...plan on reading it again some day, see if it's as good as I remember...highly recommend it...G. (

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Gemma. | May 26, 2013 |

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Canonical title

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Original publication date

1964

People/Characters

Karen Herz

Sherton (Shar) Rule (Shar)

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Epigraph

What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil -- Nietzsche

Dedication

In memory of Donald A. Dike, a great and inspiring teacher

First words

One morning in the early spring a man and his daughter made their way along the country lane that led back from their house.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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▾Book descriptions

The first novel from New York Times-bestselling author Joyce Carol Oates, a thrilling, dark tale of family, revenge, and two souls intertwined by love and violence--now back in print for fans of America's most prolific storyteller. Written when Joyce Carol Oates was in her early twenties, and first published in 1964, With Shuddering Fall is her powerful debut novel, the first of five new Oates reprints from Ecco. Following the turbulent story of two lovers who discover themselves mortal enemies, the author explores the struggle for dominance in erotic relationships that has become a predominant theme in her work, as well as the perils of patriarchal inheritance, and the ripple-effects of emotional loss in adolescence. The result is an unsentimental yet sympathetic rendering of a disastrous love affair in which hatred is nearly as powerful as love, and a yearning for destruction is an abiding and insatiable passion. Discover what prompted the New York Times to compare this young writer's debut to Shirley Jackson's famous short story, "The Lottery." Readers looking for a place to start in Joyce Carol Oates's vast catalogue will be intrigued by the sheer narrative force of the young author, and her willingness to anatomize the darkest recesses of humanity in a search for redemption and resolution.

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Written when Joyce Carol Oates was in her early twenties, and first published in 1964, With Shuddering Fall is her debut novel. It tells the story story of two lovers who discover themselves mortal enemies and explores the struggle for dominance in erotic relationships, as well as the perils of patriarchal inheritance and the ripple-effects of emotional loss in adolescence.

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